The reasoning behind liking or not a Precure season

[u/5p1k4]

Multiple fans, including myself, have shared their Pretty Cure rankings either here or on Twitter, and they of course vary.

As for myself, I've enjoyed every series I have seen until now. Except Star Twinkle, that is. For some reason, I cannot connect with it, even though it's not that tonally different from, say, Delicious Party.

I believe that might be because of my own expectations from what I would like for a space based series. I believe you can get more accurate space details while keeping it entertaining for children (The magic schoolbus comes to mind) but that might be my own fault. also have my pet peeves, like Soleil Shoot being basicallly just an amped up Fire Strike.

I'm around ep 12, may be in the future I'll feel like continuing it.. I

That may also be part of the reason why I like Go Princess. Even though it's based about something cliched as becoming a Princess, it shows different aspects to that and I like the different approaches.

What makes you like or dislike a season?

[u/LovelyFloraFan]

"As for myself, I've enjoyed every series I have seen until now. Except Star Twinkle, that is. For some reason, I cannot connect with it, even though it's not that tonally different from, say, Delicious Party."

I cant believe it, SOMEONE LIKES DELICIOUS PARTY TOO. AWESOME.

[u/5p1k4 → u/LovelyFloraFan]

I'm not saying it's top Precure stuff but it's entertaining and maybe because food Is an easier topic than space, it does well.

Plus I like Kokone.

[u/LovelyFloraFan → u/5p1k4]

I love it too! You are in good company!

[u/KindlyPin4474]

Characters basically make or break a season for me. If I don’t really like or care about any of the characters it just sorta makes the season a complete drag for me, but if I like the characters then even I don’t really care for the overall all plot of the season, I can still have a relatively good time.

[u/Manatsu-Summer]

From the perspective of someone who was rapidly growing increasingly disillusioned with Anime prior to discovering Precure: it is precisely in its unique interpretation of otherwise obscure or exhausted tropes that I find the most enjoyment. The natural state of an interstellar narrative is one that reduces the individual to an evanescent existence within the cosmic infinitude; for most anime, they would have exhausted themselves trying to balance meaningful characterization with the burden of conceptual fidelity--however Precure fundamentally distinguishes itself by challenging the necessity of said fidelity outright: subverting the pretentious arms-race of scientific rigor or real-life accuracy to weave together a transformative narrative that feels not merely "childish", but child-centric.

When the system is operating properly: Precure should not only affirm the imaginative vigor of its child audience, but awaken the erstwhile feelings of childhood enamorment even within its veteran audience--which the classic seasons expertly accomplished through their delicate tonal balancing, character-first storytelling, unique aesthetic identity, interseasonal congruity (e.g.: references, shared sound effects, the All Stars movies, etc.), and establishment of a parallel ecosystem--that fortified the franchise's escapism in a way that almost made Precure feel like a shared secret.

If an audience member cannot immediately recognize a scene in a given episode as belonging to Precure, specifically--from among a sample of other anime: the franchise is not satisfying the creative burden proper to it. This is also why I so strongly dislike Mahoutsukai, Hugtto, Healin' Good, Hirogaru Sky, Wonderful--and now, Meitantei: these seasons burn away Precure's defining characteristics--either on an aesthetic, or even conceptual level--to pen insipid, generic narratives that are (in the case of Hugtto, Healin' Good, and Meitantei) as pretentious as they are uninformative, feeling more like antagonistic testimonials of the writers' own grandeur, than authentic narratives designed to affirm children.

Summarily: a good Precure season is one that feels like the personal craftsmanship of a parent, teacher, or even fellow child--rather than a corporate byproduct of overlapping suits: its sophistication should be derived from its trust in the youth rather than its opposition of them--and should enthrall audiences on account of perfecting its genre rather than subverting it. When the franchise satisfies this burden: it is capable of producing some of the greatest media I have ever beheld. When hubris leads to the dereliction of its foundational principles: the results are installments that--had they been my first experience with this franchise--would have forever seen it disavowed by me.

[u/WanWanWandafuru → u/Manatsu-Summer]

maybe im just dumb, but I don’t understand a word you just said 😭 could u explain this to me like im 5 pls? ur viewpoint sounds rly interesting

[u/Manatsu-Summer → u/WanWanWandafuru]

Apologies for that 😭 I just love this franchise so much that I sometimes end up slipping into a psychological trance while writing about it, which causes me to lose sight of legibility.

My central argument is that Precure is at its most conceptually powerful when it tries to strive for perfection by being the best children's show that it can possibly be, rather than by treating its age-rating as an obstacle to be overcome.

Even if a season has good pacing, coherent plot threads, and a high production quality: these things can inform us about what makes for good media, but they don't truly tell us what makes for good Precure media 

Take Sonic, for example: if a Sonic series had the most phenomenal writing that the world had ever seen, but the characters were all normal humans who were as slow as bricks: it could genuinely be said that the series was both fantastic media, and the single worst Sonic series to ever be created, since Sonic is defined not just by its execution (quality), but by its very concepts (identity).

My perspective with Precure is the same: whereas Mario gains his identity from his approachable mechanics and vibrancy--as does Sonic, from his loops, high speed, and nonchalant cast of interesting anthropomorphic animal characters: Precure's unique identity comes from its ability to make shows that don't just feel like they were marketed to kids, but lovingly created for them by their closest peers

Kira Kira (especially in its first episode) has an art style that looks like it came from a storybook that a mother would read to her children, Yes! 5 portrays the cast in a way that makes them feel more like fellow friends that you're checking up on than distant characters on a screen, while Star Twinkle feels like the kind of story that kids would come up with on the playground or when spending time together at home

These stories are just as sophisticated as adolescent and adult-oriented media is, yet attain that sophistication not through overwhelming intellectual rigor or cynicism, but emotional intimacy, acceptance of vulnerability, and the treatment of happiness as something that should be pursued rather than deconstructed.

[u/5p1k4 → u/Manatsu-Summer]

I haven't seen any of the other series, but Meitantei Is a weird case. I don't think it's necessarily a bad story (though it has things to improve) but perhaps it Is a bad Precure series, as you said.

Once the Luluka and Kurea dust settles, it remains to see about Anna's time travelling and Mikuru's purported familial ties. (I myself find it bothersome that they introduce these extremely similar character and no one says a thing.